The sold-out 36th Annual Dinner Auction Gala is this Friday, November 2.  
 
Thank you to all of our generous donors for their continued support of The Chamber and to our sponsors Royal Roads University, Elite Promotional Marketing, Maximum Express, Freight & Logistics and PARC Retirement Living.  
Letters from businesses protesting EHT sent to Finance Minister    
 
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our letter-writing campaign protesting the EHT execution. We had over 60 business leaders submit letters asking the provincial government to change the Employer Health Tax fair and make it fair for business. 
 
The letters have now been submitted to BC Finance Minister Carole James along with this letter

That being said, we want to hear from you and add your voice to this issue. Download the letter here , fill out the fields and email to  communications@victoriachamber.ca . We'll continue to collect letters as part of our ongoing advocacy for changes to the Employer Health Tax proposed by the province and scheduled to be implemented in 2019.
 
You can read about changes we're proposing here.
 
Chamber News
Events
36th Annual Dinner Auction Gala
Small Business Month
Business Leaders Luncheons
Industry Tour: BC Cancer - Victoria
Webinars
Business Mixers
Prodigy Group Mingles
Event Photos

Award winning beer
At the 9th Annual BC Beer Awards & Festival a group of 54 judges assessed 1,050 entries from 109 breweries across the province for the awards. Ninety awards were handed out across 30 style categories ranging from light lager to wild ales.

Congratulations to Chamber members Spinnakers Brewpub, Twa Dogs Brewery and Category 12 Brewing on their awards!
 
 
Dark & Strong European Beer 3rd place - Black Lager, Spinnakers Brewpub
Smoke & Wood Aged Beer 3rd place - Parting Kiss Bourbon Barrel Ale, Twa Dogs Brewery
North American Amber & Brown Ale  2nd place - Side Project Amber Lager, Category 12 Brewing
Saison 2nd place - Mistress of My Soul Saison, Twa Dogs Brewery

See the full list of winners here.



Spinnakers Brewpub: member since 1990

Twa Dogs Brewery: member since 2013

Category 12 Brewing: member since 2016

SEMINAR:
So, what is proportional representation?


Do you support traditional first-past-the-post?
Or are you looking for change at the ballot level?

The current provincial referendum on proportional representation will shape how our provincial government is formed in the years to come.

Guest speaker Bruce Hallsor is a Victoria lawyer who has been involved in previous referendums on proportional representation. He is knowledgeable about the various types of proportional representation and can provide insight into the questions being asked in the 2018 referendum.

British Columbians have started receiving voting packages from Elections BC, and have until Nov. 30, 2018, to vote in the referendum.

Tue Nov 6 | 11:30 am-1:30 pm
The Chamber
100-852 Fort St.

 
 
Therapeutic recovery the right step for safe community 

Our Place Society officially opened 
its new Therapeutic Recovery Community in View Royal last week.
 
"This is a game changer for the region," says Chamber CEO Catherine Holt, who attended the opening.
 
This facility will have a direct benefit to Greater Victoria, and is a big step forward on  The Chamber's advocacy priority: Safe Communities.
 
Everyone in Greater Victoria benefits from a healthy and vibrant downtown core. It is the hub of our region's tourism sector and major attraction for technology firms that want to be located in the energetic heart of the city. Flourishing restaurants, pubs, cafes and boutiques create a positive identity for the region. But we can't take any of it for granted.
 
Many cities have seen their downtowns hollowed out by crime and neglect as community leaders struggle to find solutions to an epidemic of drugs and economic disruptions.
 
Therapeutic recovery communities take a long-term approach, and have proven more effective than programs that temporarily incarcerate people or shuffle them between neighbourhoods.

Read More: 

Our Place Society: member since 2010
 


Delving into money laundering and its impact on BC
An article titled "The City That Had Too Much Money", published in Bloomberg Businessweek, highlights the challenges Vancouver and BC face regarding Chinese money laundering.

BC Attorney General David Eby's report on the gambling industry was one of the foundations of the article, stating 'large-scale, transnational money laundering has been occurring in our casinos' and warned that those funds are filtering further into the economy. Among its findings: For years the casino regulator's anti-money-laundering unit wasn't staffed during evenings and weekends. And until reforms kicked in earlier this year, rules requiring casinos to report suspicious customers had largely been treated as box-ticking exercises.   
 
A trickle down economic effect of the money laundering is Vancouver's out-of-control real estate market. For example, Vancouver's median household income of about $61,000 compared to the price of a median house at $672,000 is stark. If you take a look at a more specific area like Eby's Point Grey riding, $57 million worth of real estate in his district had been purchased by students with no reported income.
 
Although mostly focused on the Vancouver area the article is a deep dive by an international business magazine into some of BC's most talked about and controversial issues. If you'd like to hear more about what the BC government is doing to curb these issues, come to our Business Leaders Luncheon featuring Attorney General David Eby on Wednesday, November 7.
Falling back to Standard Time
Standard Time begins this Sunday, November 4 at 2 am. The switching between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time always ruffles some feathers with many people saying they want to keep  Daylight Saving Time year round, so it'll be darker in the mornings, but lighter in the afternoon/evenings.
 
In Fall 2017, The Chamber conducted a mini poll on Facebook and 70% of people said they would support year round DST. The BC Chamber of Commerce has an active policy advocating for year round DST. Their reasoning is it would reduce related workplace accidents, sleep deprivation, heart attacks, traffic accidents and boost tourism.
 
INDUSTRY TOUR:
Did you know Victoria is home to world-class cancer research?

Your tour will include a visit to the BC Cancer Deeley Research Centre where you will learn first-hand how BC is at the forefront of immunotherapy treatment development offering BC patients and families hope for the future.
 
Wed, Nov 21 | 12-1 pm  
BC Cancer Foundation - Vancouver Island
2410 Lee Av.


Langford mayor says spec tax will cause job loss 
Langford Mayor Stew Young has written a letter to the province asking for his community to be exempted from the speculation tax. Mayor Young shared the letter with the Chamber last week.

In the letter, Young says investment is leaving Langford, and he believes his community will see job losses within the next one to two years.
 
Part of the growth on the West Shore can be attributed to the sale of real estate to out-of-province investors, including properties on Bear Mountain. The influx of money has helped build the community and allowed the municipality to provide services and amenities to citizens. However, the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, discourages investment and hurts the local economy. The tactic won't result in those properties being used as affordable housing, which is the overarching goal of the legislation.
 
And, the mayor says Langford is actually a good example of a municipality that has had success with affordable housing.  More than 7,500 new units have been built in the last 10 years.
 
Members Around Town
 
Inn at Laurel Point named best employer
The Inn at Laurel Point has been named Tourism Vancouver Island's employer of the year, an award recognizing tourism businesses that embody best practices in employee management and operations. The hotel was the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Workplace award at The Chamber's Greater Victoria Business Awards. Nominations are now open for 2019. 
 
Inn at Laurel Point: member since 1991
Bear Mountain's new tennis bubble  
This past Saturday the tennis bubble opened on four of the eight clay courts at Bear Mountain Resort and Spa. As the bubble is Western Canada's largest indoor/outdoor red clay court tennis facility, Bear Mountain is hoping to attract  Tennis Canada's top young players to call the courts homeThe Bear's bubble will be deflated and put away each spring, allowing for outdoor play on all eight clay courts from May through September. In future, Bear Mountain hopes to add a second bubble, which would allow for all eight courts to be covered during the winter months.
 
Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa: member since 2003
One of Canada's best new restaurant is right here in Victoria 
Nestled inside the Magnolia Hotel and Spa, The Courtney Room only just opened in April, but word is catching on fast. The fledging establishment was named one of Canada's 10 best new restaurants by enRoute, the in flight travel magazine from Air Canada. Congratulations! 
Magnolia Hotel and Spa: member since 1998    
 
Air Canada: member since 1962 
Swan Lake boardwalk open 
The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary has opened its new steel and fiberglass boardwalk to the public. The boardwalk cuts across the northeastern corner of Swan Lake at a length of more than 300 metres - offering visitors excellent views of the local flora and fauna.  
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary: member since 2014
Nominate Now for the 2019 Business Awards
Each week, The Chamber will profile a different award category, encouraging members to nominate a deserving Chamber member.

The Outstanding Customer Service  award honours a business that:
  • Demonstrates exceptional customer service; 
  • Serves as a role model, mentor or example of excellence to other businesses; and 
  • Exhibits a commitment to the community.
Know a business that deserves this award? Nominate them today!

Need some inspiration? Check out the videos of the 2018 Business Leadership finalists below. Thanks to Innov8 Digital Solutions for sponsoring this award.

Winner: Urban Smiles Victoria
Finalist: Frontrunners Footwear
Record-breaking toilet paper numbers
Prodigy Group put on TP the Town Victoria with the help of many sponsors, volunteers and generous donors and raised almost 123,000 rolls of toilet paper - a record year.
 
The event took place at 21 grocery stores across Greater Victoria - including Chamber members Thrifty Foods and Quality Foods. All of the toilet paper donated was delivered to the Mustard Seed to be distributed to more than 40 communities across Vancouver Island for families in need.   
 
 
Mustard Seed: member since 1999  
 
 
Thrifty Foods: member since 1981
 
 
Quality Foods: member since 2015   
 
110 Years of Success Stories 

St. Margaret's School is hosting an Anniversary Tea to celebrate its 110th Anniversary. This special event features the inaugural SMS Emerging Leaders Award that highlights students that have gone on to great success. The featured alumnae include:
 
Jean Hsu, Scientist/Engineer , SMS Class of 2011
Jean is a Scientist/Engineer at Kinectrics, a global leader in lifecycle management solutions for the electricity industry.  
 
Katherine Evans, Actress , SMS Class of 2015
Katherine received awards recognition for both of her first two television appearances: in AMC/Netflix's The Killing in 2011 and in BBC America's Intruders in 2014.
 
Kate Strachan, Mechanical Engineer, SMS Class of 1995
In September, Lafarge Canada appointed Kate Strachan as Exshaw plant manager making her the first female plant manager at Canada's largest cement plant. 
 
Karina Sihota, Government Relations , SMS Class of 2004
In 2011, Karina joined the Canadian Labour Congress (ClC), the organization representing 3.3 million unionized workers in Canada. Her most recent role at CLC was National Representative, Women and Human Rights, focusing on issues around gender equality, discrimination and injustice in the work place.

St. Margaret's School: member since 2018 
Chamber Staff Halloween costume fun  
Do you recognize The Chamber staff all dressed up for Halloween? Luna was a paper bag princess, Kate was the devil, Alec was Woody Toy Story (yes, that's a 2018 photo), Emara was the White Witch from Narnia, Coco was Batman's helper, Carmen was Eddie from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Jim's son was Robin. 
 
Don't have anything to do tonight? Why not check out Destination Greater Victoria's l ist of the " Top 11 Haunted Places in Victoria" if you're dying to see a ghost. While you're out exploring the region use #VICTORIABOO, we'd love to see what you get up to! Happy Halloween!
 
 
Destination Greater Victoria: member since 1988 
 
Welcome to Our Newest Members!  


  

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